I guess I might as will get to recapping Potomac. I was biased against this show from the onset. RHOA is the number one show on Bravo not because the ladies are the most interesting, they certainly are not the richest. Nene and Kim and them were in desperate need of money and attention when they filmed season one for five thousand dollars for the entire season. They were actually more fun when they were on page twelve of the AJC for some grifting situation or another. The reason RHOA shot to the top of the Bravo ratings was because they fought all the time. So in order to replicate that, Bravo has tried to bring on other almost all black ensembles. I wasn’t really interested in seeing another housewives franchise where the catfighting might rise to the level of RHOA. So I didn’t watch and I didn’t recap. But a few other people did from time to time. I honestly don’t know who is who on this show really. I did watch some of the last reunion because everyone was talking about oh no, wait. That was Married to Medicine.
See? My point is I am going to suck at this. But at least you will have a place to discuss the show rather than just blurting stuff out in random comment sections. Plus you will be able to correct me a lot in comments and I know y’all love that.
First, they play a trailer and my ears hurt all ready. It’s just a lot of bitch-slapping and trash talking. Then the season begins with the news that Karen and Ray owe millions in back taxes to the IRS. Honey I just sent my numbers in to the attorney after checking them all ten times for them to check again. I’m terrified of the IRS and I pay my taxes on time every single year. I do not understand these people who make millions of dollars and then just forget to pay taxes! Also I signed a release for my post about this to be used on the show. I presume if it was someone would have mentioned it to me by now. Oh no, there it is. I must have forgotten to put in the release that the site name has to be on there. Le sigh. Actually, it is up there twice, as the background, then the first story, then they pile on several others. I screwed up my end of the contract. Oh well.
Why does Ashley have a Google alert for the Hugers? Next we see Karen all alone in here ginormous house calling her sister in tears. Apparently, she had no idea that Ray’s business was not paying taxes and was giving a warning call by someone at the Washington Post that the news was going to be published in two hours. Are none of these girls friends with Karen? It’s kind of sad to see her there all alone. Karen wants us to know that she doesn’t owe anybody anything or any taxes. Except you do, sweetie. When you are married, they can come for you when your spouse owes taxes at least in some states and under certain circumstances.
Gizelle and Ashley meet for lunch. Apparently, they are getting along at the moment. Ashley has been traveling and posting nude beach photos on Instagram. Gizelle and Sherman have been together for about a year. I normally hate these recap lunches but they are great if you don’t watch the show. I love Ashley’s dress but I really need Gizelle to be a friend and straighten it out for her. Gizelle says Karen did in fact know that Ray owed the IRS. I am not sure that she did. I believe that Ray had the business before Karen married him so she would likely not be a party to the business in any way. She wouldn’t have to sign or see anything related to the business. All she was likely doing was running up his credit cards.
I don’t remember Monique or her husband Chris but they got a new ginormous house, because apparently that is what people do these days. When I was a little kid my favorite book was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler about a girl who ran away to live in a museum. That seemed cool. Living in these big old houses seems kind of not so cool. Monique wants to have a party. She wants him to invite his mom who they haven’t spoken to for a while because she speaks disrespectfully to Monique.
Robyn is shopping for shoes for her boys with Juan. Are they still married? I thought they were spilt up in the first season? I guess not. Robyn says they are in a better place. Sometimes they even sleep together. Guess what they are buying? Did you guess a bigger house? Because, spendypants. Robyn has a different face in her confessionals than she does on the show.
There was a makeup commercial.
Back in Great Falls, Karen proclaims to her husband that she is being domestic by taking some grocery store mini-muffins out of a plastic container and putting them on a plate. Apparently, this is breakfast for her and Ray. She’s clearly a domestic goddess. She is going to discuss her husband’s nearly five million dollar tax debt on camera over mini-muffins and some cut up fruit. Ray’s eyes look very bloodshot. He seems to insinuate that the taxes were owed by the business under a previous owner and also that Karen knew about the tax situation. Did he not hire someone to do financial forensics on the company he purchased? That makes no sense. Karen let’s us know that they file taxes separately and have no co-mingled bank accounts.
It appears that Ashley is going to move back in with her husband. She has a cute car and they live in a highrise apartment. I keep weighing the pros and cons of moving into an apartment/condo type thing that would eliminate all the home improvement headaches. But Banjo needs his back yard. Micheal gives Ashley some straight man roses with a sweet card. Michael says he wants their relationship to come before the restaurant and her mother. I agree with him. But that’s going to take some work. They are really going to both have to give a little when it comes to financial support for her mom. She bought her mom a house and a car with his money in their joint account with out his approval apparently. That’s BAD.
How is it already 7:30? Arrgh.
Karen and Robyn meet for lunch. Robyn was the only one that took Karen’s call when she needed her. Robyn does let Karen know that she wasn’t sure she was getting the full story because surely she knew about the tax situation. She again protests that she had no idea. She seems to be lying. Robyn says she doesn’t believe that she didn’t know. Is Karen like the Sheree of this show? Robyn says that she talked with some of the other girls and they think she had to know as well. Now Karen is furious that Robyn stabbed her in the back by talking with the other girls about something that was all over the Internet. We have the first “I will never trust her again!” of the season. Robyn says when a story breaks on the Washington Post about someone in the friend group, it is ridiculous to think they group is not going to talk about. Karen says “Read my fucking lips, I don’t owe anyone and explanation!” Jesus woman! You had ONE FRIEND that would take your call and this is how you treat her? Karen keeps screaming that you have to make millions to owe millions! She gets up to storm out. Robyn says maybe Karen should stay in Great Falls by herself.
Next week: We get to add a Miss USA into the mix. Karen threatens physical violence and acts like a hoodrat. Is she going to flip that table? It sure appears so.
I didn’t hate this show. I don’t mind recapping if y’all don’t mind me not knowing what I’m talking about. It might be a bit late though.
yay i love rhop!
I’m just getting used to this show too. I thought the oddest thing was how Karen and Ray talked to each other. Don’t they live together? It seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in a while. I don’t get it, unless it’s a fake relationship. Until I started reading you, TT, I believed the stories they told on these shows. I always have had a naïve streak in me, despite my advanced age. Thanks for the slap upside my head!
I love RHOP! At least there are no completely awful characters like Kim or Porsha!. Plus, Karen’s delusion is pretty priceless.
Karen is the Ramona of Potomac. Her being delusional makes good watching time.
Karen seems to have transformed herself since the beginning of the show. At first she played “grande dame” with old fashioned clothes and bad wigs. She seems to have lost weight and is going for a younger look down.
She always spoke down to the others and lectured about “society” and how they failed to reach her standards. If I believed in karma, I’d say it was biting her in the ass. And it certainly has made the crown slip quite a bit.
I think you will end up liking rhop. It has grown on me.
Karen does make a good point. You have to have money to have those kinds of money troubles. I will never owe the IRS millions even if I feel like I do. Robyn also has a good point too. If your name is a column heading in the Wasington Post, the bone carrier the Washington Post, not Robyn.
Karen says her Mother In Law taught her proper behavior. Karen comes from nothing. Does the Mother Un Law have a stick up her butt too?
I’m all IN for RHOP! I’m watching last season again to get caught up. Karen was a pretentious snob for throwing around “I will school you on proper etiquette” ad nauseam. She’s in deep denial and is the Teresa Guidice of the group. She’s definitely going for a younger, less stuffy look this year though. I’m rooting for Ashley and Michael and hope they make it. Robyn is divorced but is still living with her husband for the sake of the kids. They’re exes with benefits, though it’s shaking up similar to last season in that she was way more into him than he is into her. Comparing RHOP and RHOA, RHOP has them beat by a mile.
Agree on all terms. And your Teresa Guidice comparison is on point.
I think they are living together because neither of them can afford to get a house of their own. I like Robyn but he treats her like a booty call. Do people still use that term? Oh, well, he doesn’t film often so he won’t be a problem.
I like this show and Married to Medicine but neither is must see TV.
Yes, Tamara, please recap RHOP. You won’t be bored and we won’t mind waiting. Karen has been such a snob for so long that it was a surprise for me to realize they had such severe financial problems – they seemed to be very successful. Oh well, that serves me right for not realizing almost all people living very high on the hog are almost very much in debt. I agree 100% that, if I had huge amounts of money, I’d have the very best accountants to make sure my taxes were paid on time. I don’t have tons of money, but my tax person makes sure I pay enough so that I don’t owe at the end of the year – that would be depressing. Then to have to come up with huge amounts like these people do? No wonder they’re selling their homes.
I’m kind of surprised Ashley is back with Michael. I thought she had used him and tossed him aside, but it looks as though there’s really love there (unless she couldn’t ensnare anyone better). She needs to be honest with him though – no more sneaking things to Mommy without him knowing.
…also very much in debt, not almost very much…
As I mention frequently, I live in the ghetto. I moved here because at that time the house was a family property and because of my (dead at the time) mother I was offered a teaching job at the elementary school next door even though I had another college job in the works in Tampa. My father asked his baby girl to come back “home” (he didn’t live here, he had a real house about 20 minutes away) and I could walk to work. I didn’t want to teach elementary, but I could not say no to Daddy, so I came here. I loved my elementary kids and stay WAY longer than I stay anywhere and when Daddy died I bought the house from the estate.
There are many good things about living in the ghetto, paying cash for the shack, and walking to work. Like being able to avoid to travel a lot, sneaking home for lunch (until some bitches ratted me out) and never being stuck in rush hour traffic oh yeah and being debtfree and still having money to invest. You would not believe how much the married ladies living in McMansions they could not afford would be pissed at me. I kept telling them there were shacks available on my street, and that pissed them off even more. Eventually, I just stopped telling people where I went on my vacations before Banjo arrived. lol. I read somewhere years ago that 0f the richest people in the US the most common vechicle was a Ford F-150 and of the poorest people many had fancy cars they could not afford.
Exactly! In the book “The Millionaire Next Door” the writer was shocked that the parking lot had 5 to 10 year old Fords, not Bentleys and Lamborghinis. 🙂 And the men were wearing Timex watches, not Rolex.
Fancy cars, watches, even houses are not investments. Stocks, bonds, CDs are investments.
You sometimes hear the word “investment” used in a strange way, like “Invest in a good work wardrobe.” hmmmm…. is that really the best way to advance in business? Hard work and learning as much as you can is a better investment.
The Millionaire Next Door is one of my all time favorite books! Toyota is the #1 car of millionaires. That is very thought provoking!!
You have made many sound financial decisions and while your house in the ghetto has afforded you wonderful experiences and vacations along the way, you will also be quite comfortable in retirement! Thanks for sharing! So nice to hear news of reasonable spending and saving, rather than the usual social media flooded “look what I bought today” posts of things you know that poster is up to their eyeballs in loans!
where is the ghetto in Atlanta? I am visiting and staying in Buckhead but would like to visit other artistic areas?
I don’t think you missed anything relevant. This show turned out to be a lot more watchable than I originally thought too. I deliberately ignored it, then caught part of an episode midway through the first season and had to rethink my attitude. Thanks for recapping it.
Telling. I haven’t watched this episode yet but Karen was house hunting last year (season) to downsize since they were empty nester’s.. Her home was outdated but Karen refused to update for a better sale price…etc. Then, the houses she toured with the realtor and husband as I recall were “unacceptable.” Plus there were “rumors” but I never quite understood. Because, at that time I was all alone in this world of reality TV! They did settle on a house outside of Potomac, I’m assuming this is the same house they’re in now and it was/is a rental? She seems VERY pretentious.
Thank you TT! I think you’ll get into this branch of HW’s.
I should add…as “outdated” as Karen’s previous home was? It was ginormous!
I got the sense that Karen’s home was a little empty (a la Sheree’s house). And her new, rented home is even bigger I think. She definitely has some knowledge of the tax issues — remember how they moved out in the dark one night?
Finally! It grew on me last year. I will take it over Atlanta any day of the week, especially since they downgraded Charrisse to “friend” status. I could not manage one episode of Atlanta this season.
I watched the reruns of last season, and got a bit hooked! It’s good fun and no one takes themselves too seriously, up until now anyway. It is refreshing after all the Atlanta unpleasantness, and I think Ashley really does love Michael. Women are so lovely!
Is Karen delusional, yes. But I’m so tired of the “everyone gang up on one person” shtick. Ladies, you don’t need to know all the facts and details to have someone’s back and be supportive. You want to know the facts so to make them feel better about what’s f*cked up in your life.
I think with Karen it is more a response to her superior mean attitude in the past — she is a grande dame etc. She looked down on everyone and lorded her wealth and her “black Bill Gates” every chance she got, and here she was a massive phony.
She upgraded his title last year from “the black Bill Gates” to “Dr. Black Bill Gates.” Just randomly added a Dr. to his name.
Thanks for recapping this. I’ve been watching from the start and was immediately hooked by Miss Ashley. I wish that they would have redone their intro shots. I’ve loathed Karen’s look from the get go in that black strapless thing that passes for an evening gown. Loved the addition of Monique and her family last year and I’d be okay with less Charisse. Her scenes felt awkward last year but overall the entire cast worked well.
Another vote to keep recapping RHOP! It grows on you!
Yes, I’ll take Potomac over Atlanta any day. Haven’t watched Jersey or Atlanta for at least a couple of
years. Can’t stand the women.
Potomac: Karen is terribly pretentious, she’s fun to laugh at. Ashley in love with that old man??? Ugh. Robyn is just a conniving snoop. If she was really a friend of Karen’s she wouldn’t need “the full story” to
be supportive. I have had first hand experience of my late husband’s business being in tax trouble because
of the economy, and it was never printed in the paper, nor did any of my friends snoop and pry. If Karen
hadn’t tried so hard to be superior to the other women, she’d get more of my sympathy.
Yeah TT, I think RHOP will grow on you.
I think Karen did know about the tax issue. She does seem to lie quite a bit. However, what difference does it make if she knew or not. I guess her haughty attitude didn’t help with garnering sympathy from the group. Depending on how Ray’s business is set up, she may not be responsible for any of the taxes.
Just a side note: I’m scared shitless of the IRS. My grandmother was an auditor for 25 years. I don’t know what they did to her, but she was scared shitless too, LOL!
I like Ashley. She really seems to love her husband. I hope they can work it out.
I’m glad Charisse has been downgraded. She was difficult to watch. I don’t like Robin either. She seems to take too much pleasure in the demise of others. She was all too happy about Ashley & her husband at the reunion. But yet, she is pathetically holding on to her ex husband for the sake of her kids.
I wonder if Michael sharing his dick pics on Grindr added to his and Ashley’s marital woes? Or were the mother and restaurant responsible for him soliciting twinks in London too? ??
I’m glad they brought back
the #GrandDamnSheBrokeKaren but why in the hell does every franchise have at least one woman that now dresses like Erika Jayne?Tracksuits paired with hoop earings and hair curled by scrunching it with mousse just doesn’t work with the whole society-lady image shes trying to project. ☝️?Thanks for recapping this show TT. In my opinion RHOA has been unwatchable for several seasons for this show has the fun moments Atlanta hasn’t had in several seasons.
Karen’s actions last season is all the proof I need that she knew. She had a fit when the realtor wanted to post a sign in the front yard of their former home because Karen didn’t want anyone to know the home was listed. Her husband Ray is a terrible liar and I hate when he allows her to put him in that position. She lied as last years’ reunion and he didn’t play along and I like how he spoke up and told her he did mention the tax situation and I believe him.
Gizelle’s fashion and glam is stuck in 2005 but Sherman seems to be making her more likable so I hope he stays around for a long time.
Monique is still as braggy as ever but I like her.
Robyn needs to realize that just because she has been open about her finances doesn’t mean everyone else will be but I can understand why all of the women are after Karen. She put herself in this position with that attitude.
I hope Ashley and Michael work things out if that’s what they both sincerely want but as far as Ashley’s mom is concerned she should call Kandi for advice cause I’m sure Kandi hustles so she can support her own family and her mom.
I assumed Ashley had a Google alert on RHOP and Karen being a cast member would show up on it.
Did it look like Karen had some work done? She looked a little refreshed.
Karen is a fake ass phoney and her Holier than thou persona is full of holes ,I am shocked they brought her back other than to out her.
Karen it was in the paper you have tax issues yes people are gonna talk and put the puzzle together even if you hid a few of the pieces.. Karen is lying big time and seems to lie alot.
So happy Charesse is not on all the time she is as bad as Karen.
Monique I can not stand the bragging and cutting others down so what she married well you can tell she wants that Potomac Crown bad .It looks like she has some real issues coming up in future episodes.
Robyn is something else I think Juan is the 1 who wanted more and Robyn was not that into him until she found out Juan started to date and now they sleep together she is putting it out there they are back together.
I do like Ashley she is a spit fire and it is a huge marriage no no to take money from your husband and your account without asking… to support your mom .she is pretty stupid common sense wise if she thinks that is ok.
Gizelle is so Full of herself it ain’t funny she reminds me of Phadrea/Shree mixed together .Weird that Phadrea was dating her ex.
I do like this show